Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Presented without comment

Photo by Bill Parry/Times Ledger
From Progress Queens:

The sale of a Brooklyn Heights library branch that many flagged as troublesome, but which was nonetheless approved by the New York City Council, has become the subject of a reported Federal corruption investigation, according to news reports.

Now, one leading library advocacy group has expressed criticism of the judgment of a Queens municipal legislator, who has portrayed himself to be a defender of public libraries : Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Woodside).

“Although Councilmember Van Bramer is known as and presents himself to be Mister Library,” said Michael D.D. White, who co-founded the community group Citizens Defending Libraries, which has endeavored to save libraries from closure or sale, “he has not been pro-library. He has been pro-real estate deals.”

Councilmember Van Bramer did not answer a request made by Progress Queens for an interview for this report.

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

JVB Represents a small sliver of a minority of voters in his Queens Council District. They are very Vocal and Very visible, and thats IT. Only those people and himself are all he cares about. What has he really accomplished,with his press conferences calling attention to "Problems" in his district. The trains are still idling all night in the LIRR Yards,Crime is still up,He literally does nothing for the majority of his constituents. He was also right in there with Tom Galante when Galante was raping the library's funding to build his "Smoking room" in the central branch Can Anyone really believe he didn't know what Galante was doing with the library's money? JVB is an empty suit, but he does make a nice photo for the weeklies and Mocker... Re-elect him at your peril

Anonymous said...

Should read, "Ma'am I am."

Anonymous said...

how does one share this post -- it does not give you an option to share to facebook -

Anonymous said...

"I am a man" ... even though all mental and physical development stopped at 15 years old for me.

Anonymous said...

Hopefully we will see a new picture of little Jimmy in cuffs.

Anonymous said...

And he's very rude to his constituents on the street.

Anonymous said...

u got the whole library on your smartphone
might as well build a streetcar to get to the library

Jerry Rotondi said...

Jimmy took $10,500 in campaign contributions from the Wolkoff family , and then voted in the council chambers to approve a zoning variance , which would allow Jerry Wolkoff to build TWO 40 story buildings on the former 5 Pointz site! That's chump change for bending over for a developer. How many other times has Councilman Jimmy taken , what many have called "bribes" , to vote in favor of developers' plans? JVB fills his political campaign war chest with developers' cash! He is as phony as can be. Watch out! This adolescent has dreams of becoming mayor.

Anonymously Grey Gardens said...

Alas, the City and State of New York (and, sadly the rest of the US for that matter!) is not a democracy practicing Republic anymore (if ever!), and corrupt little nuggets like Jimmy Van Brainless are not the roots of all breeding point corruption.

Corruption always begins at the top, or as my grandfather used to say in his Sicilian dialect: "A fish always stinks from the head!" Hence, there are a lot of rotting fish in City Hall and Albany, and none are in handcuffs---ironically, We The People ARE INSTEAD!

For decades, the tyrannical government system of a totalitarian monarchy dictatorship, rule have hijacked every single taxpayer, and held up hostage in perpetuity, where ironically, even Third World countries no longer have as much fear and paralysis of their OWN banana republic governments, as we STILL experience here in New York by a totally FOISTED-AND-FALSE system of epic, humanitarian fail.

And, Greg Mocker has lost all credibility here (and elsewhere), I'm afraid. He was supposed to report on the shameful, languishing fate of 'Triumph Of Civic Virtue,' but alas, he was afraid to ask the REAL and TOUGH questions for Monarch Melinda Katz to answer that ACTUAL journalists and reporters are supposed to ask (except that they are now all corporate bought and beholden, and the reason for why societal collapse, lawlessness, vigilantism and outright anarchy are on the rise---and, getting more dangerous and uglier by the hour)! Stick to your 'fluff' pieces about cute, cuddly kittens and other stories of corporate ordered urgency, Greg---getting your pretty little manicured, Midwestern fingernails dirty just ain't your schtick!

So, thanks for nothing, Greg, as you've failed the borough in which you call your home (by way of middle America, no less). Reminds me of what my grandmother used to say: "Everyone is useful---but, no one is necessary!"

Anonymously Grey Gardens said...

And, unbelievably, Van Brainless chairs the arts committee (and gets extra city money without any pretense of actual work---taxpayer money, that is!), to continue duping, bilking and scamming his constituents, in perpetuity!

Now, you should have seen how one of his worthless, community liaison representatives reacted in 2014, when I asked for Van Bramer's help with challenging the unilateral, publicly unauthorized decision to evict 'Triumph Of Civic Virtue': His incompetent hack had the gall to ask: "Well, doesn't the borough president already have plans for Kew Gardens Plaza?" His name was Andres something and, surprise---he no longer works there (and, although I don't remember his last name, when I called Van Bramer's Sunnyside office on May 25th, a woman named Amanda told me that I would have to speak with Van Bramer's press officer, Arielle Swernoff, who was working at the Manhattan office, in order to get the last name of this mystery employee with no last name readily available for the asking)!

Alas, we are at the cruel and sadistic mercy of a city and state government system that has been SO ACCUSTOMED to OPENLY practicing their respective graft, greed, corruption, cover-ups, kickbacks and payoffs---that now even attempting to establish someone's first and last names of any particular government office is an experiment in post, Iron Curtain terror and intolerant extremism!

Welcome to the Fourth World, Queens Crappers, where all matters of relevance and quality of life issues are dismissed with impunity---and, all minutia are given top clearance and priority (like chairing an arts committee without working, much less addressing any and all public concern). The City Council: CRIMES WITHOUT CRIMINALS---every single one of them---and, the public be eternally duped, bilked, scammed and damned!

ron s said...

The "I am a Man" signs were commonly seen during the epic struggle for civil rights in the US. VanBramer demeans them by wearing them for his publicity stunt.

Anonymous said...

Correction: AM I A MAN?

Anonymous said...

JVB claims to be pro-library because he previously worked for the Queens Public Library as their government liaison, under the discredited Tom Galante regime, before JVB decided to run for public office.

Anonymous said...

I got the feeling from this article that, as more libraries come up for sale, Van Bramer isn't going to do shit to save them. Wow. And he's supposedly on the "short list" to be crowned as the next City Council speaker.

Anonymous said...

In a ladies bathroom I suppose.

Anonymous said...

For 99% of pols, it's all about money. Obama signed an amendment to the STOCK Act that allowws this to go on for the house and the srnate.The locoal pols gotsta get theirs too!

Anonymous said...

JVB is a sniveling little angry queen who probably got beat up for his lunch money in grade school.
Now that he's a public official, he means to get even! There is nothing as pathetic as an mean aging gay man.

Anonymously Grey Gardens said...

The real tragedy is that Van Bramer is but one out of many city council members for whom actual inclusionary, constituent work and help are illusions, and trust is for suckers. Worse, the public oath of office that each member sword to uphold has been abrogated---by THEMSELVES, without public censure, much less consequence.

That's why New York City is a padded cell of lawlessness, vigilantism and societal collapse that is fast crossing over to outright, full blown anarchy itself. And, all New York State government is even more entrenched in corruption, greed, graft and a dereliction of public duty that never ends---compliments of totally corrupt-and-failed leadership in Albany, City Hall---and, everywhere in between and beyond!

Anonymous said...

the Q.library staffs are soliciting citizens for more funding from the pols, wearing "ORANGE"tee shirts.and then I read that the Bay Terrace lib. will receive $4MILLION ?? P.S.169 & Bell Acad.K-8 never have to bus their children out of the Bay Terr.area,while the rest of us have bussing chaos and lower property house sales???

who do they know ????

Anonymous said...

Not quite.

DAN THE WIFEY said...

I AM
A JACKASS.

Anonymous said...

What ever happened to books in the library, instead of holding meetings with 'neighborhood' groups to further the agenda of developers.

That library is controlled by developers interested in fat capital contracts.

They never really cleaned house.

Anonymous said...

I AM A REAL ESTATE INDUSTRY SHILL